Theology of Inculturation : Its Terminology and Application in Korea

Park, Hae-Jung 한국실천신학회 2012 신학과 실천 Vol.0 No.33

The cultural diverse in Korean society has impacted many social communities including Korean Christianity. Particularly in this postmodern ear, cultural trend and influence play a significant role to reform a content and frame of those communities. In this stream, the Korean Protestant churches started to pay attention to new worship patterns including praise and worship, seeker's service, and emerging worship, etc. However, before approaching those new trends, the Korean Protestant Church is genuinely asked who we are as a Korean. This paper tries to demonstrate an answer for the question not only from liturgical understanding but also from pastoral aspect. The Korean Protestant Church is asked “self-reformation.” The Korean Protestant Church is urgently claiming its openness toward Christian’s and non-Christian’s living context and culture. Thus, in this paper, I examine the current situation of the Korean Protestant Church in terms of a process of to-chak-wha (indigenization/inculturation), and look for an adequate possibility of to-chak-wha for the Korean Protestant Church. I describe several terminologies regarding of encountering local culture and Christian faith, such as adaptation, indigenization, contextulization, incarnation, and inculturation. Furthermore, I present the current address of Korean Church in terms of inculturation and look for the future possibility for the inculturated Korean Church; the ancestoral worship and church music. Ancestor worship has embraced a beautiful Korean tradition. Because Korean Protestant church observes Chu-do-sik to be in memory of the ancestors, I believe that a Korean Protestant church also, like a Korean Catholic Church, provides a Christian liturgy. Instead of a Confucian one, the Korean Protestant church should present a liturgy in terms which Christians can make ancestor worship into a Christian family worship together with ancestral souls. The church music needs to rediscover its criteria based on the context of Korean worship community. It is not right to treat Korean traditional music as simply a part of the products of pagan culture, but the heritage in which emotion of Koreaness is evoked. Rather by rediscovering the value and function of Korean traditional music in Christian culture, the Korean church can provide various and rich worship service in which Korean people constantly experience encounter with God. It is inculturation. I strongly believe that Jesus was the one who had a strong desire to inculturate the Gospel.

Theology of Inculturation: Its Terminology and Application in Korea

박해정 한국실천신학회 2012 신학과 실천 Vol.0 No.33

The cultural diverse in Korean society has impacted many social communities including Korean Christianity. Particularly in this postmodern ear, cultural trend and influence play a significant role to reform a content and frame of those communities. In this stream, the Korean Protestant churches started to pay attention to new worship patterns including praise and worship, seeker's service, and emerging worship, etc. However, before approaching those new trends, the Korean Protestant Church is genuinely asked who we are as a Korean. This paper tries to demonstrate an answer for the question not only from liturgical understanding but also from pastoral aspect. The Korean Protestant Church is asked “self-reformation.” The Korean Protestant Church is urgently claiming its openness toward Christian’s and non-Christian’s living context and culture. Thus, in this paper, I examine the current situation of the Korean Protestant Church in terms of a process of to-chak-wha (indigenization/inculturation), and look for an adequate possibility of to-chak-wha for the Korean Protestant Church. I describe several terminologies regarding of encountering local culture and Christian faith, such as adaptation, indigenization, contextulization, incarnation, and inculturation. Furthermore, I present the current address of Korean Church in terms of inculturation and look for the future possibility for the inculturated Korean Church; the ancestoral worship and church music. Ancestor worship has embraced a beautiful Korean tradition. Because Korean Protestant church observes Chu-do-sik to be in memory of the ancestors, I believe that a Korean Protestant church also, like a Korean Catholic Church, provides a Christian liturgy. Instead of a Confucian one, the Korean Protestant church should present a liturgy in terms which Christians can make ancestor worship into a Christian family worship together with ancestral souls. The church music needs to rediscover its criteria based on the context of Korean worship community. It is not right to treat Korean traditional music as simply a part of the products of pagan culture, but the heritage in which emotion of Koreaness is evoked. Rather by rediscovering the value and function of Korean traditional music in Christian culture, the Korean church can provide various and rich worship service in which Korean people constantly experience encounter with God. It is inculturation. I strongly believe that Jesus was the one who had a strong desire to inculturate the Gospel.

인도네시아 전통시대의 조상숭배와 신분 제도 연구: 동부 지역을 중심으로

송승원 한국동남아학회 2023 동남아시아연구 Vol.33 No.4

이 연구는 오스트로네시아 세계에서 공통으로 목도되는 이주(migration)를 개념적 중추로 하는 사회적 신분구조가 어떤 식으로 전근대기의 인도네시아 사례에 나타나는가를 추적한다. 이 시기에 인도네시아의 수많은 사회에서는 귀족과 관습그룹이라는 두 계층의 엘리트가 존재했다. 이들의 관계는 원칙적으로 이주 순서에 따른 도래 우선순위를 바탕으로 형성되었는데, 관습 그룹은 지역에 최초로 도래한 씨족의 후손들이며, 귀족은 사회가 확장되고 왕조가 발달하면서 지역사회에 활기를 불어넣어 줄 문명권 출신의 이방인 (후속 이주 세력)에게 정치권력을 이양한 결과 형성된 경우가 많았다. 역사적 흐름 속에서 귀족 그룹은 관습 그룹을 제치고 정치권력을 독점하는 사례가 많았지만 오스트로네시아적인 원문화가 비교적 강하게 유지되었던 동부 인도네시아의 왕조들에서는 관습 그룹이 왕실 관료로 행정에 참여하는 예도 있었다. 북말루꾸의 띠도레 사례에서 볼 수 있듯, 관습 그룹은 토착민으로서 “땅의 주인”이라는 타이틀과 함께 조상신 숭배를 담당하는 경우가 많았다. 술탄들은 이슬람의 수장이었지만 조상신 숭배에 참여함으로써 토착성으로부터 뿜어져 나오는 축복을 구하는 의무를 지켜야 했다. 이런 차원에서 인도네시아의 조상신 숭배는 토착 세력이 후속 이주 그룹에 대하여 그들의 권위와 신분을 유지하는 메커니즘의 일환이었다. This research explores how social hierarchies centered around the common concept of “migration” often found in the Austronesian cultural sphere, are manifested in the Indonesian context. In the pre-modern era, many societies in Indonesia had two elite strata: nobility and adat (customary) groups. Their relationship was primarily based on the precedence order of arrival, with adat group being the descendants of the first arrivals in the region, while the nobility often emerged as a result of the expansion of society and the development of monarchies, bestowing political power upon latecomers from the civilized world. Throughout the historical trajectory, there were numerous instances where the nobility group dominated political power over the adat group. However, in the eastern Indonesian dynasties where Austronesian indigenous culture remained relatively strong, there were cases where the adat group also participated in administration as royal officials. As seen in the case of Tidore in North Maluku, the customary group held the title of “lords of the land” as indigenous people and were responsible for ancestor worship. Although they were Islamic leaders, the sultans had an obligation to participate in ancestor worship to seek blessings emanating from indigeneity. In this context, ancestor worship in Indonesia served as a mechanism for indigenous forces to maintain their authority over subsequent immigrant groups.

극동 토착종족의 불 숭배: 기원과 용어 및 형상

엄순천 한국슬라브․유라시아학회 2023 슬라브학보 Vol.38 No.4

Among the indigenous tribes of the far east, representative terms referring to fire and fire god include togo and puja. Togo is of proto-tungusian origin, is the basic vocabulary of the northern tungusic group, and was spread to the even and evenki. Puja is of proto-altaic origin, spread between the southern tungusic group and the taj, and is the basic vocabulary of the southern far east, while the nivh use an intermediate form. Among the indigenous tribes of the far east, the image of fire god was transformed into woman → woman and man distrust → couple → man. Female fire god and male fire god have something in common: old women and old people. However, the difference is that the female fire god is single and not married, while the male fire god is married and has two daughters. According to this, the female fire god was at first a celestial deity with little interaction with humans, and later moved to the vicinity of the villages of the indigenous tribes of the far east, but still did not come very close to them. On the other hand, male fire god resided in the hearth of the home, the most central space in the lives of the indigenous tribes of the far east, and established themselves as protective gods of their families and clans, and became the objects of their active worship.

한국 개신교 조상의례의 변천과 쟁점

박종수(Jong Soo Park) 한국종교학회 2012 宗敎硏究 Vol.69 No.-

The aims of this paper is to study on the Korean protestant ancestral rites, focusing on the context and form of its appearance. The emergence of the ritual involves controversies over ancestral worship and forced Shinto shrine worship at the end of the Joseon dynasty or in the Japanese colonial period. The characteristic of the Korean Protestant ancestral rites which this paper claims is the use of Protestant worship service form. First, the introduction of ancestral rites by the Korean Protestant denominations involves issues such as contemporary interpretation of Christian dogmatics, the relation between the ancestors and living descendants, and development of modern ancestral rites. The ancestral rites are found in an absolute majority of cultural areas, and should be considered in both religious and cultural perspectives. The relation between the deceased and the living should be theologically established, and ritual meanings should be given to the wishes of the deceased person. The point that most Korean Protestant churches celebrate Parents` Week on the second Sunday in May should be reflected for the consideration of the relation between Protestant concepts such as ancestral rites and filial love, and ancestral ceremonies. Second, the use of Protestant worship service form for ancestral rites can cause conceptual confusion. The Korean Protestant denominations objected to Shinto shrine rituals because they recognized the rituals as a kind of idol worship. The use of Protestant worship service form for ancestral rites can be understood in the similar way, because the Protestant concept of `idolatry` includes worship of symbols or images of gods, ghosts, or objects. Of course, some Korean Protestant denominations argue that ancestors do not have the level of God in ancestral rites and they are respected as a good model. This kind of understanding require more studies of Protestant ancestral rites in the perspective of de-worship.

극동 토착종족의 불 숭배: 기원과 용어 및 형상

엄순천(Eom, Soon-Cheon) 한국슬라브유라시아학회 2023 슬라브학보 Vol.38 No.4

Among the indigenous tribes of the far east, representative terms referring to fire and fire god include togo and puja. Togo is of proto-tungusian origin, is the basic vocabulary of the northern tungusic group, and was spread to the even and evenki. Puja is of proto-altaic origin, spread between the southern tungusic group and the taj, and is the basic vocabulary of the southern far east, while the nivh use an intermediate form. Among the indigenous tribes of the far east, the image of fire god was transformed into woman → woman and man distrust → couple → man. Female fire god and male fire god have something in common: old women and old people. However, the difference is that the female fire god is single and not married, while the male fire god is married and has two daughters. According to this, the female fire god was at first a celestial deity with little interaction with humans, and later moved to the vicinity of the villages of the indigenous tribes of the far east, but still did not come very close to them. On the other hand, male fire god resided in the hearth of the home, the most central space in the lives of the indigenous tribes of the far east, and established themselves as protective gods of their families and clans, and became the objects of their active worship.

1980년대 이후 국악찬양의 전개: 다양한 연행형식을 통한 "한국적" 정체성 만들기

김묘신 ( Myo Sin Kim ) 세계음악학회 2013 음악과 문화 Vol.28 No.-

This paper examines gugak chanyang, a musical phenomenon related to the Koreanization of Protestant church music in South Korea, especially that utilizing Korean traditional music. With the substantial Westernization of the overall musical circumstance in Korean society since the introduction of Western music at the end of the 19th century, along with the inflow of Protestantism, the church has rejected Korean traditional music for use in services because of its relation to indigenous religions and its low social image that had been deliberately built up during Japanese colonial rule. For over a century, Western music has been considered to be "authentic"music in the Korean church, presenting Korean Protestant identity. Despite the fact that there have been continuing efforts to utilize Korean traditional music as church music from the beginnings of church history in Korea, it was not until the 1980s that notable and persistent attempts at gugak chanyang appeared and continued to develop. This paper explores the three performative contexts of gugak chanyang: presentational, quasi-presentational/participant, and worship. I suggest that three different stages of “Korean” identity are manifested in these three contexts. Drawing on Christopher Small`s ideas, I interpret these musical contexts as, respectively: an “act of exploration of identity (to try on identities to see who we think we are;)" conducted in the presentational context; an “act of affirmation of community (this is who we are)" conducted in the quasi-presentational/participant context; and an “act of celebration (to rejoice in the knowledge of an identity not only possessed but also shared with others)" presented in the worship context. By examining leading figures, ensembles, and churches related to gugak chanyang, I investigate how each performative context was formed and how it promoted "Korean" identity for Korean Protestants.

『長老敎會 婚喪禮式書』(1925)를 통해서 본 한국기독교의 장례문화와 교훈

이장형,안수강 한국실천신학회 2017 신학과 실천 Vol.0 No.53

본 연구에서는 1925년에 장로교에서 발행하여 보급한 『長老敎會 婚喪禮式書』의 장례예식을 고찰함으로써 당시 한국기독교에서 시행했던 장례문화를 살펴보았다. 이 문헌에서는 하나님의 인간창조 사역으로부터 시작하여 인류시조의 범죄와 이로 인하여 초래된 사망의 징벌, 예수 그리스도의 구원사역, 그리고 하나님께서 인간을 구원하시기 위하여 선포하신 복음의 메시지를 강조하였다. 첫째, 이 상례예식서의 조례 단계에서는 장례예식은 반드시 종교예식에 준해야 한다는 점을 천명(闡明)하였고, 이 예식이 (이미 세상을 떠난 자를 위해서가 아니라) 지상의 유족들을 위로하는 데 근본적인 취지가 있다는 점을 피력하였다. 둘째, 장례예식에서 착용할 예복에 관한 규정은 토착화 차원에서 한국 사람들의 내면적 심성을 십분 이해하고 고려하여 전례 되어온 복식도 허용함으로써 매우 포용적이면서도 실용적인 태도를 취하였다. 또한 이 상례예식서에서는 이 복식에 관한 문제를 아디아포라의 차원에서 판단해도 무방할 사안으로 간주하여 받아들임으로써 장례를 치르는 예식에 최선의 편의를 도모하고자 하였다. 셋째, 출관식 예배는 교회의 보편적으로 행해지던 공예배 형식을 따랐지만 각별히 남아 있는 가족들과 슬픔을 공유하고 위로해야 한다는 의미를 깊이 함축하였다. 또한 세상을 떠난 자의 살아생전 행적들을 회상함으로써 예식에 참석한 모든 사람들이 삶의 가치관과 목적의식을 새롭게 정립할 수 있도록 조명해주었으며, 지선(至善)의 목표로서 복음을 통해 영생과 부활, 그리고 영생복락의 천국을 제시하였다. 넷째, 출관식 예배의 연장선상에서 하관식 예배는 출관식 때와 마찬가지로 여전히 유족을 위로하는 순서에 큰 비중을 두었으며, 유족과 아픔을 함께 나누며 위로하는 공감대를 형성하고자 하였다. 특별히 이 예배에서는 신자의 죽음이 단지 비애의 길로 끝나는 것이 아니라 도리어 영광스러운 길이라는 점을 부각시켰으며, 궁극적으로는 예수 그리스도께서 재림하셔서 최후의 심판을 집행하심으로써 영원한 생명, 그리고 생명의 부활과 심판의 부활이 성취된다는 복음적 관점을 중시하였다. In this research, we have studied funeral rites from Forms of Marriage and Burial published by the Presbyterian Church in 1925 in order to investigate the cultural aspects of funerals from Korean Christianity at the time. This literature put an emphasis on: ministry of God’s human creation, the primary humanity’s crime and the punishment of death, Christ’s ministry of salvation, and evangelical messages. Firstly, this ritual’s ordinances clarified that funerals should be part of a religious ceremony and had the effect of the bereaved being consoled. Secondly, the funeral’s clothing regulations put into a sufficient consideration the Korean afferents in level with indigenization. Therefore, the traditional uniform was allowed showing practical and inclusive manner. The literature had put into regard the adiaphora issue promoting the convenience of funerals. Thirdly, although the service of a coffin-leaving ceremony followed a form of the formal service, it deeply implicated consolation of the bereaved. Through the life of the deceased, the literature was clarified that attendants can newly form life’s values and consciousness of purpose. In addition, through the evangelism, it presented eternal life and resurrection, and also eternal bliss of heaven. Fourthly, both of the services of a coffin-leaving ceremony and a coffin-lowering ceremony should hold the same importance. They still put the weight on the consolation of the bereaved and formed a mutual sense of solidarity by so sharing the grief of the bereaved. Especially in the services, the fact that the death of a Christian is not on the way of woe but on the way of glory is highlighted and put an emphasis on evangelical perspective by elucidating the final judgement, the eternal life, the resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgement.

A Study on the Establishment of Korean Identity in Korean Lutheran Worship Books

홍경만 한국민중신학회 2021 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.- No.36

The aim of this thesis is to study the establishment of Korean identity within Korean Lutheran church worship books that have inherited the spirit of the Reformation movement in the 16th century. The research method traces the development process of all the books of worship in the history of Lutheranism in Korea, organizes them in a chronological manner, and analyzes the contents. The scope of the study is all worship books, including the publication and process of the first worship book in 1960, the establishment of the Lutheran Church in Korea (LCK) General Assembly in 1972, and the revision process of the worship book, and the worship book published in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. The specific details are about the first worship book made by Koreans, worship book developed with Korean traditional music, small community worship book containing the Korean situation, worship book that achieves complete use of Korean (‘Hangul’). From the first worship book in 1960, LCK has established a Korean identity with the missionary principle of American missionaries of “the base of the native land.” As LCK revised and developed its first worship book, it further solidified its Korean identity, from theology to music and professional human resource participation. As a result, a Sunday worship service was created for Koreans by Koreans according to Korean traditional music made with Korean traditional music and lyrics. LCK created a worship book for small communities that positively approached the reality of today’s small Protestant churches in Korea. And in 2017, the LCK published the 500th anniversary commemorative worship book of the Reformation, achieving complete Korean transcription. This thesis has an important achievement in that it has researched and summarized the entire history of worship books of the Lutheran Church in Korea from the perspective of establishing Korean identity. This thesis can contribute to the study of liturgical history in the field of liturgy in Korean Protestant Church.

A Study on the Establishment of Korean Identity in Korean Lutheran Worship Books

Kyung Man Hong 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2021 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.36 No.1

The aim of this thesis is to study the establishment of Korean identity within Korean Lutheran church worship books that have inherited the spirit of the Reformation movement in the 16th century. The research method traces the development process of all the books of worship in the history of Lutheranism in Korea, organizes them in a chronological manner, and analyzes the contents. The scope of the study is all worship books, including the publication and process of the first worship book in 1960, the establishment of the Lutheran Church in Korea (LCK) General Assembly in 1972, and the revision process of the worship book, and the worship book published in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. The specific details are about the first worship book made by Koreans, worship book developed with Korean traditional music, small community worship book containing the Korean situation, worship book that achieves complete use of Korean (‘Hangul’). From the first worship book in 1960, LCK has established a Korean identity with the missionary principle of American missionaries of “the base of the native land.” As LCK revised and developed its first worship book, it further solidified its Korean identity, from theology to music and professional human resource participation. As a result, a Sunday worship service was created for Koreans by Koreans according to Korean traditional music made with Korean traditional music and lyrics. LCK created a worship book for small communities that positively approached the reality of today’s small Protestant churches in Korea. And in 2017, the LCK published the 500th anniversary commemorative worship book of the Reformation, achieving complete Korean transcription. This thesis has an important achievement in that it has researched and summarized the entire history of worship books of the Lutheran Church in Korea from the perspective of establishing Korean identity. This thesis can contribute to the study of liturgical history in the field of liturgy in Korean Protestant Church.